Admission criteria for all courses
To be admitted to our courses, you need the following:
- A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from a Swiss or foreign university;
- At least two years of relevant professional experience;
- Excellent command of English (see below)
Documents for the Master (MAS), the Diploma (DAS) and Certificate (CAS) courses
- CV (Résumé)
- Copy of the certificate for the highest educational qualification obtained
- Proof of English language competence to be dated less than 2 years (see details below)
- Copies of work certificates from the last two job positions
- Two letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional) signed and with direct mention of the programme of your choice
- A passport photo (.jpg format)
- Scanned copy of passport
Documents for the Executive Short Courses (ESC)
- CV (Résumé)
- Copy of your highest diploma
- Work certificate or official document of your current job position
- Proof of English language competence to be dated less than 2 years (see details below).
- A passport photo (.jpg format)
- Scanned copy of the passport
Language Requirements
MAS/DAS/CAS
Please provide a proof of your English language level according to the following conditions:
(1) You are a native English speaker: please provide a copy of your passport.
(2) You have been working for at least five years in English with MSF or ICRC: please provide a copy of the English test you have undertaken internally with your employer. (3) You do not meet the conditions (1) or (2): please provide an English language level certification (see below).
Executive Short Courses (ESC)
Please provide a proof of your English language level according to the following conditions:
(1) You are a native English speaker: please provide a copy of your passport.
(2) You have been studying in English for at least three years: please provide a certificate from your institution, your transcript or your diploma.
(3) You have been working for at least five years in English with MSF or ICRC: please provide a copy of the English test you have undertaken internally with your employer. (4) You do not meet the conditions (1) or (2), or (3): please provide an English language level certification (see below).
To make your enrollment as easy as possible, please check below the documents you will need to supply as part of your application process. If you want to apply for one of our scholarships, remember to check your scholarship eligibility before starting the application process.
Please ensure you have all your documents ready to upload before starting the application process.
Applications sent after the closing date and/or incomplete will not be considered.
Recognised Tests and Scores
For MAS/DAS/CAS (level C1 minimum)
- Cambridge English Advanced (CAE) 180-199
- Cambridge English First (FCE) 180-190
- C1 Business Higher
- IELTS 6.5-7.5
- TOEFL iBT 95-120
- TOEIC Listening & Reading 945
- TOEIC Speaking & Writing 360
- PTE General Level 4
- PTE Academic 76-85
- Duolingo : 130
- EF SET (CEFR) : C1
For Executive short courses (level B2 minimum):
- Cambridge English First (FCE) 160-179
- Cambridge English Preliminary (PET) 160-170
- B2 Business Vantage
- IELTS 5.5-6
- TOEFL iBT 72-94
- TOEIC Listening & Reading 785
- TOEIC Speaking & Writing 310
- PTE Geneval Level 3
- PTE Academic 59-75
- Duolingo : 110
- EF SET (CEFR) : B2
Pre-requisites for Online Courses
Online course requires 20-25 hours of dedicated work per week. We recommend that participants allow at least 50% of their time for the course and adapt their professional activity accordingly and with flexibility on working hours.
Classes combine self-paced learning and mandatory live sessions via Zoom approximately twice a week. If you are at work, your employer should know that you will follow live classes, and only emergencies should prevent you from attending the course.
Technical pre-requisites :
- Broadband/high speed connection – 2.5 Mbps minimum.
- Please note that most weekly content and activities is accessible via phone, but a PC/laptop/tablet is preferred
- Microphone, headphones and webcam
Before the beginning of your online course, you will receive your login details to our learning platform, access instructions, and further documents related to the programme. We strongly recommend connecting you to the platform as soon as you receive the instructions.
Application procedure
To submit your application, please follow the four steps below:
- Fill in the form on the online enrollment platform.
- Upload all requested documents (check your scholarship eligibility beforehand).
- Register for the correct programme.
- Submit.
Once you have submitted your application, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail. Please note that the Selection Committee may take up to three weeks to validate an admission request.
If you need more information about the application process, please contact us at humanitarianstudies@unige.ch.
Application platforms
The majority of our courses can be applied for on our generic registration platform here.
However four courses have specific links which we list below.
- Sexual & Reproductive health: Apply here.
- Protection of civilians in armed conflicts: Apply here.
- Planetary Health: Apply here.
- Digital Innovations in Humanitarian Action: Opportunities & Challenges. Apply here.